Homo Explorans. Geographies of Genealogical Memory in Contemporary Poland

We invite you to a meeting around the book of Dr. Marta Raczyńska-Kruk

Homo Explorans. Geographies of Genealogical Memory in Contemporary Poland

October 17, 2026, 3:00 p.m.

Ludwik Zamenhof Center, 19 Warszawska Street

free admission

The meeting will be attended by: dr Marta Raczyńska-Kruk, Łukasz Karpecki, Szymon Konik

Conducted by: dr Katarzyna Niziołek

Homo Explorans. Geographies of Genealogical Memory in Contemporary Poland (Wydawnictwo Uniwersyetu Warszawskiego, 2025) is a book about the fascination with one's own roots and how amateur genealogists in modern Poland discover, collect and tell the stories of their ancestors. The author looks at genealogy from the perspective of cultural anthropology and human geography, showing that the memory of ancestors and the practices of this memory have a spatial dimension. Genealogical stories, inextricably intertwined with the phenomenon of so-called cybergenealogy, are created on the canvas of family messages and memorabilia, documents found in archives, results of DNA research, finally concentrated around houses, cemeteries and other places and landscapes in which the life of previous generations took place.

The search for the family past is also a kind of personal journey. The genealogist visits the archives and places where the ancestors lived, traces them like a detective, looks through old metrics and digital collections, and finally meets — largely virtually — with other enthusiasts. “Homo Explorens” is therefore about a memory that is both personal and shared, based on sources and striving for objectivity, and at the same time full of emotion, nostalgia and imagination. It is a book about traveling through places, documents and family stories, where historical facts are constantly intertwined with myths and an attempt to answer the question: where are we from?

Marta Raczyńska-Kruk considered the “search for roots” as one of the mirror figures for various social and cultural problems of Poland in the third decade of the 21st century. The images reflected in this mirror surprise with their quantity and complexity. This work stems from common-sense certainties, often linked to scientific knowledge, what the “search for roots” consists of, what determines it and what its results are. [...] The author has created the most complete work on methods, tools, sources and consequences of this phenomenon, the most valuable work due to the knowledge presented in it, based on the foundations of theories and methods of science Humanities and Social Sciences.” (from the review of Prof. Dr. Zbigniew Libera).

“The author skillfully combines an anthropological perspective with a geographical approach, creating a coherent concept of the “geography of genealogical memory”. It refers to numerous theories in the field of memory studies, identity studies in the digital context and “emotional geography”, showing an erudite tendency to synthesize a variety of theoretical approaches. [...] The book has a didactic value, it is a work that inspires discussion — both by adepts and experienced researchers from various disciplines. For anthropologists and cultural scholars, it provides an engaging example of qualitative field research. For historians and archivists, it offers a new perspective on the social use of historical sources. For humanistic geographers, it is a proposal for the possibility of studying the spatial dimension of memory. Finally, for genealogists themselves—both professionals and amateurs—it can become an inspiration to reflect on the broader cultural significance of their search. In this sense, the scope of the impact of the work can go beyond the academic environment”. (from the review of Dr. Jacek Kowalewski, professor of UWM).

Marta Raczynska-Kruk

Marta Raczyńska-Kruk — Doctor of Humanities, researcher and academic teacher at the Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies of the University of Warsaw, member of the team of researchers at the Department of Political and Historical Geography, with whom she has been exploring the phenomenon of Deaf people in the Carpathian Foothills from a historical and contemporary perspective for several years. Cultural anthropologist and archaeologist, graduate of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. Her research interests focus on the geography and anthropology of memory, local identities and culture and history of the Polish countryside. Author of numerous scientific publications located at the intersection of anthropology, geography and history, author of the book “Homo explorans. Geographies of genealogical memory in contemporary Poland” (2025), co-editor and co-author of the monograph “Deaf people in the history and culture of the Carpathians”, volumes I and III (2026) and the source study “On peasant reason. Rural court records of modern Ołpin and their social contexts” (2024).

Lukasz Karpecki

Łukasz Karpecki — employee of the Polish Language Institute of Polish Academy of Sciences. In the Laboratory of Onomastics he studies local names of Poland (their history, transformations and meanings), mainly from the southeastern edge of the country. Lecturer at the Faculty of Polish Studies of the Jagiellonian University. PhD student, in his doctoral thesis analyzing geographical nomenclature, including the names of parts of villages, fields, meadows, hills and streams from the former municipality of Nowosiółki Dydyńskie, located near Ukraine. However, his interests extend beyond the subject of geographical names. She is also interested in the origin and cultural background of names and surnames. Passionate about genealogy, long-time researcher of family roots, both hobbyist and professional. He is particularly interested in peasant biographies from the Polish-Eastern Slavic border.

Simon Konik

Szymon Konik — a student of the Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies at the University of Warsaw, participant in field research in Podlasie and Spisz, Slovakia. His family roots go back to Sokolszczyzna. In her research conducted on the Sokólskie Hills, she looks at the geographical dimensions of memory related to changes in boundaries and the relationship of man with space. Founder of the online initiative Korona Wzgórz Sokólskie, which promotes knowledge about the natural and cultural landscape of the region. Winner of the Independent Peer Competition, organized by the KARTA Center.

Katarzyna Niziołek — PhD in Social Sciences, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology of Culture at the Faculty of Sociology of the University of Bialystok. He specializes in qualitative and art-based methodology. She conducts research on, among others, social art, participation in art, folk culture and collective memory. Author of numerous publications and speeches on these topics. Initiator and coordinator of the Social Art Laboratory. Curator of participating theater projects. He is currently implementing the research project “Textile Sociology”.